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Today's most if-it-happened video: Fallout 3 footage
No Mutants Allowed shows us footage of Black Isle's canceled Fallout 3 in today's video pick. The segment isn't flashy, but it gives a good sense of what Fallout 3 could have been (hint: similar to Fallout 2, in a good way). Bethesda currently owns the Fallout IP and working on its own version of Fallout 3, with a projected release to be determined.So before you look forward to Bethesda's -- and possibly even Interplay's --- version of Fallout, take a moment to watch what could have been. See the video after the break.
UK retailer GAME faces delivery issues with PS3 Oblivion
Is United Kingdom retailer GAME refusing to stock its store shelves with the PlayStation 3 version of Oblivion as part of some shady, conspiratorial deal with Microsoft and/or Nintendo? It must be that the retailer, as an entity, is so anti-Sony that it's willing to sacrifice a hefty amount of business on a high-profile, well-reviewed game launch so as to deprive helpless Sony fans of their Elder Scrolls fix.Put your tinfoil hats away, however, because it's just not true.Though the PS3 Oblivion was released today in Europe, a spokesperson for Ubisoft has told CVG that there were some distribution issues and that the title, while missing at some GAME stores, is available elsewhere. "Rest assured," said the spokesperson, "Oblivion on PS3 is definitely out today in online and high street retailers."The real loser in this situation is GAME, for aforementioned financial reasons. Many branches are not expecting to have the game until next Monday.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
UK store refuses to sell PS3 Oblivion [update 1]
High Street retailer GAME has decided to hamper the sales of PS3 title, Oblivion. Why do we make such an outrageous claim? Because they're not going to stock the title for the PS3. It won't be available in any of their UK or Ireland stores.Oblivion has sold very well on both 360 and PC, counting upward 3 million units sold and receiving various awards for being totally radical. The PS3 version is to see release in Europe today, but it won't be around in the biggest videogame retailer. That's very, very lame. What does GAME have to say for themselves? Nothing. They weren't available to comment. [update: the problem lies in distribution troubles, not a denial to stock the game itself. A new report with actual information from GAME is now available!]
Shivering Isles patch coming Monday
Shivering Isles' form ID bug of a problem that we wrote about a while ago is going to be fixed next week with a patch coming Monday. Bethesda's community manager hopped on the official forums to announce the Shivering Isles patch, but acknowledged that Monday is only a target date and the release could get pushed back. So, even though most of you weren't having a problem with this little bug, it was there, Bethesda squashed it, and all is calm in the world.[Via Joystiq]
Shivering Isles patch coming Monday for Xbox 360
According to a post on Bethesda production director Ashley Cheng's blog, a patch to fix the "formID" bug in the Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles will be available for download on the Xbox 360 Monday, April 30. The patch has been available for PC since April 12, as well as some fan-created solutions prior to that.There's a chance the patch will not make its purported Monday deadline, but the good news still is that there is a patch and it is complete and coming very soon. The critical bug would essentially appear late in the game and cause items to disappear.Cheng, whose current project is Fallout 3, has also posted a handful of YouTube videos featuring the various introductions from the Fallout series. Maybe they're considering a similar opening for their version? Time will tell.[Thanks, Megen]
Fallout 3 teaser site, forums open
Bethesda has launched a teaser site for their current project, Fallout 3. The website is essentially an enlarged version of the adjacent picture, which was unveiled at E3 last year, and a link to the developer's forums pages.Bethesda has additionally opened forums specifically for the impending sequel and the original two Fallout titles, the rights of which they recently bought from Interplay for reportedly $5.75 million.Let's take a moment to reflect on Fallout 3's current situation. As Tycho from Penny Arcade notes, no one knows what exactly Bethesda will do with the franchise, and since they are their own publisher, they can choose to wait and show material from the game whenever they feel its ready. And that could be years.
Great Geiger! Bethesda buys Fallout IP
According to an SEC report filed today, the revered Fallout franchise has been sold to Bethesda Softworks, currently in the midst of developing Fallout 3. Uncovered by Fallout fansite, No Mutants Allowed, the document states that the radioactive IP was purchased from Interplay for the princely sum of $5.75 million -- roughly a mountain's worth of post-apocalyptic bottle caps. Bethesda had been developing their Fallout sequel as licensee, not property owner.This change of ownership sees original IP-holder, Interplay, becoming a licensee to Bethesda and paying the Elder Scrolls developer a 12% royalty on net sales derived from an upcoming (and still entirely nebulous) Fallout MMO. Interplay's license requires them to begin development within two years of the date of agreement, secure a minimum of 10,000 subscribers and offer a product that complies with "the quality standards of Bethesda." Purchasing the Fallout IP outright certainly reflects positively on Bethesda's dedication to the franchise -- it's their property they risk messing up now -- and highlights plans well beyond "Morrowind with Mutants." (Next, would someone be so kind as to rescue the Freespace IP from Interplay?)[Via Gamasutra]
Shivering Isles may be feeling buggy
Oblivion's first expansion Shivering Isles may be suffering from a bad case of the bugs. Over at the UESPWiki they've outlined a potentially crippling bug confirmed in the PC version of Shivering Isles that may also affect the 360 expansion. The bug revolves around the amount of identification numbers for in game objects exhausting causing newly created objects to disappear. And since this bug is based on the amount of time played and the FPS, the Xbox 360 version would produce the bug around 150 hours of gameplay. The Elder Scrolls community found what caused the problem and created a patch for the game, but Bethesda has yet to release anything official on the PC or 360 side of things. Though, there are a few work-arounds for each version listed in the wiki. So, have you played over 150 hours of Oblivion with Shivering Isles downloaded and if so, are you experiencing any wackiness?[Thanks, Muzo360]
Video: Shivering Isles gameplay
Shivering Isles, the official expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is now available, but what is it all about? Perhaps this video will help explain that. Apparently, Shivering Isles is about monsters, giants, and unrelenting madness. To be honest, that sounds great, doesn't it? You bet your bag of holding it does! The video showcases some of the expansion's psychotic themes as well as some seriously ferocious beasts, including the giant gatekeeper at the end. If you prefer nothing to be spoiled, you'd best skip this video, because it pretty much lays down the entire beginning to the expansion. As for everyone else, enjoy! Don't forget to tell us what you think in the comments.
Shivering Isles now on Xbox Live -- grab it before the downtime
Just in time to grab before the scheduled maintenance tomorrow morning, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles is now available for download at the price of 2400 MS points (US $30). The expansion, just under one gigabyte in size (approximately 993.75 MB), promises 30 hours of gameplay.The game was originally scheduled tomorrow, but "the team" (they're related to the "Top Men" we always hear about) were able to get the game up early. The 14-hour downtime is scheduled for 3 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, so go ahead and grab it if you want to get through a good chunk of the game tomorrow.
Shiverings Isles on Marketplace now!
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Shivering Isles is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. For a hefty 2400 Microsoft Points you'll nab yourself an equally hefty chunk of Oblivion content. The 30+ hours of gameplay weighs in at 993.75 MB. You'll also have 10 additional Achievements that you can unlock in the new world. Of course you have the choice of using your current character, or creating a new character specifically for the expansion. So what are you waiting for, go grab it now!
Oblivion PS3 vs. Xbox 360 comparison
Ahh, video console comparisons. As flamebait goes, it doesn't get much better than video console comparisons. Wary as we are of this, we can't help but post GameTrailers' recent video comparison of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Oblivion. Granted, Bethesda has had a substantial amount of time to improve the PS3 version, but there are some undeniable differences. In particular, at about 1:30, you'll witness some nasty pop-up on the 360 version. We're only speculating here, but that may be the result of all PS3's containing a hard drive; Bethesda didn't have to account for a Core version as on 360. There are some other subtle differences, you can see a few more wrinkles on the King's face in the PS3 version and some of the weapon textures look sharper. Other textures look better on the 360, though, most notably the textures of the cobblestones on the city streets.Now, Bethesda has made it known that many of the graphical additions made to the PS3 version will be made available for the 360 version as well. Hopefully, we'll see another comparison after that comes to pass.To the topic at hand, though, can you declare a clear winner in this video? Hit the "read" link to compare them in HD.
Bethesda VP chats up Wii, says Oblivion not possible
For those of you who thought that Oblivion could grace the Wii (the game is coming to the PSP, so why shouldn't it be doable on the Wii, right?), you might want to take a seat. Oh, wait, you're already sitting, aren't you? Right, right ... well, uh ... it's not coming to Wii. Nope, no chance it'll grace the system as Bethesda's vice president of Marketing Peter Hines denies the rumor during a GameIndustry.biz interview.Hines goes on to destroy our hopes by stating "It's something we'd like to do, but unfortunately it's not a very good fit with Oblivion. Oblivion is a very demanding game hardware-wise and in terms of graphics processing and raw horsepower. It's not something the Wii was designed to do. They decided not to make the focus on raw horsepower but on interface and so forth. It's a great console and many of us at Bethesda have one but I know that bringing Oblivion over is not possible - we'd have to do a whole new game." Right, but couldn't a port, with some cleaned up graphics, of the PSP Oblivion be possible on the Wii? The PSP is just a smaller PS2 or something, right?What do you guys think? Would you want Oblivion on the Wii?
Oblivion has begun with the shipping
Bethesda released a nice little press statement where they build up consumers for the impending release of Oblivion for the PS3. It's not even an impending release, really... the game has been shipped! According to Bethesda, the game has shipped and will arrive in stores as early as Tuesday, March 20th.Now we can truly see what is different, what's the same, what's better, what's worse, and if some of the more annoying bugs have been fixed up, patched up, sewn up, et cetera. Let's see a show of hands -- how many of you will be grabbing this game up? Also, how many of you have it on another console (we include the PC) but will buy the PS3 version for the heck of it?
Shivering Isles on March 27, $30 (2400 Microsoft Points)
Bethesda's Todd Howard has confirmed that The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles will be available on March 27 for PC ($29.99 at retail) and Xbox 360 (downloadable for 2400 points). While not unreasonably priced for an expansion -- especially for one that claims roughly 30 hours of gameplay -- Shivering Isles nevertheless will enter Xbox Live Marketplace with an unprecedented price tag. (Good thing Bethesda is no stranger to testing the limits of consumer practice.) No doubt the expansion's price will be met with skepticism when the content arrives on Xbox Live.Xbox 360 Fanboy reports that Shivering Isles might also be included in a future retail edition of Oblivion, providing Xbox 360 owners without Xbox Live access to the expansion. According to statements made by senior game designer Bruce Nesmith during an interview with Gamertag Radio, if sold at retail, the expansion would have to be included with the full game, forcing many fans to re-purchase Oblivion. This is "not really an ideal situation," admitted Nesmith, explaining that current Microsoft limitations do not offer an alternative. Nesmith also confirmed that at least one more piece of downloadable content is being produced for Oblivion. "A fighter stronghold kind of thing", said Nesmith. "It's the one character class that we haven't really dealt with yet, so it'll be something for those guys who are into the heavy armor and the big, big sticks."Bethesda has also confirmed that the PS3 version of Oblivion will release March 20 (Shivering Isles not included).
Shivering Isles to be released at retail
In a recent interview with Gamertag Radio, design director of Oblivion Shivering Isles Bruce Nesmith let out some interesting details. When asked how Oblivion fans who don't have Xbox Live could get the Shivering Isles expansion pack, Nesmith admitted that they were working on a retail version. According to Nesmith, there will be a new special edition of Oblivion available at retail that will include all of the previously released content including the new Shivering Isles expansion. He also went on to say that there will be more downloadable content for Oblivion in the near future. So, does this sway your decision to download Shivering Isles by just selling your current copy of Oblivion and purchasing the new special edition when it releases? Or are you happy with downloading the expansion and having it stored on your hard drive?
No more Oblivion after Shivering Isles
All of you that are excited for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and their expansion pack Shivering Isles (set in the Realm of Madness, domains of Lord Sheogorath), you won't have much else to be excited about once that expansion pack rolls to an end. Why? Well, Bethesda's Peter Hines has come out and said that there won't be anything else for the game.Quoting is fun: "Shivering Isles is our last big thing: it's our first and last expansion for Oblivion. Work pretty much started on Shivering Isles once Oblivion was done. We started looking at what we wanted to do, where we wanted to set it, all that stuff. It pretty much started last March." Rumor is that Bethesda has its hands full preparing the PS3 version of Oblivion as well as Fallout 3, so they'd like to move forward instead of continue to mess around with something that's already considered by many to be great. Oh well. Expect an Elder Scrolls V in a few years.
Elder Scrolls lead designer joins Big Huge Games, developing "console RPG"
Big Huge Games (Rise of Nations) has lured acclaimed designer Ken Rolston out of retirement for one last RPG. Rolston was set to call it quits after his stint at Bethesda, which spawned Morrowind and Oblivion, but instead, the 25-year vet has moved on to another Maryland-based developer, known for its RTS games. "We remain committed to creating real-time strategy games," said BHG President Tim Train, adding, "At the same time, we've explored developing a role-playing game for several years now. Ken is a fantastic fit for us on every level, and gives us the leadership we need to be confident of success in our new venture.""I had planned to retire and rest on my laurels after Oblivion, but Tim and his army of visionary charmers came along with a strikingly original and cunning concept for a console RPG," said Rolston. Further details have yet to be revealed.
Bethesda is sticking to RPGs for now
Pete Hines, VP of Public Relations, took the helm and decided to answer another set of questions regarding not only Oblivion, but Bethesda as a whole. We'll go ahead and make a fantastic list. Shivering Isles isn't a standalone game because they want you to keep the character you've worked so hard on... they want you to be able to trek back and forth between the main game and the expansion with that character. Bethesda is sticking to the first-person view of their RPGs and think JRPGs are all the same, too linear, etc. Obviously, they haven't played that many JRPGs or they probably wouldn't say that. For the most part, it's true, but there are some amazing non-linear titles from Japan. The Romancing SaGa games are fantastic non-linear JRPGs. There is a slight desire to create an MMO, but only if Bethesda can find a way to move the genre as a whole forward. They've been very focused on single-player interaction, making the world alive and not so "get this quest to get the items certain monsters may drop but probably won't so you can get an item to activate another quest to get more items that, in the end, amount to you accomplishing nothing at all." That's me quoting myself, not Pete Hines. About the PS3 and 360 versions, now Hines says this: "Sometimes folks see stuff there that's real, and oftentimes it's imagined. The PS3 and 360 versions are for all intents and purposes identical." What? Stop flip-flopping. Last but not least, Pete Hines says that "right now there are no plans internally for us to do anything other than role-playing." Bethesda is going to go with those answers and we're gonna take them. But if he said before that the PS3 had some differences to the 360 version and now he says they're the same... which is true? Why the doublespeak, Mr. Public Relations? If they're the exact same, that's perfectly fine – just say so and stick to it. Anyone else want to offer up non-linear JRPGs also?
Maddening new screens of Shivering Isles
Xboxyde has unearthed some new shots of Shivering Isles, the upcoming expansion pack for Oblivion. The shots show off some of the new creatures and locales. We've also uncovered a video feature from a recent issue of OXM. If you've been raring to learn as much as possible about Shivering Isles without all the pesky reading, we suggest you check it out. Bethesda promises 25 hours of extra gameplay to complete the main quest of Shivering Isles. Should you go after every sidequest, it could take up to three times as long. The expansion will be loaded with new creatures, new locations, and new ingredients for eager alchemists (like me). Hit the "read" link to take a gander at the new screens, and don't forget to check out the video feature, too.
